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Cover crops’ impact on water quality

Research has shown that cover crops have a positive effect on water quality, does that apply to Michigan?

The MSUE Cover Crops Team of Dr. Dale Mutch, Dr. Dean Baas,
Christina Curell and Paul Gross worked together to assess the amount of
sediment and phosphorus that cover crops can reduce to improve Michigan water
quality.

We estimate on average cover crops will reduce sediment
1,840 pounds/acre from wind erosion and will decrease sediment 340 pounds/acre
from water erosion. Cover crops are estimated to reduce phosphorus by 0.30 pounds/acre
from wind erosion and 0.04 pounds/acre from water erosion.

Based on our surveys and other resource materials, we estimate
that 1.1 million acres were planted in cover crops in 2011 when including
wheat, and 400,000 acres of cover crops were planted excluding wheat. Seed
dealer comments have indicated at least a doubling of cover crop seed sales
over the last year.

Therefore, cover crop adoption is estimated to have had the
following impacts in Michigan
(not including wheat):

Sediment lost to
wind erosion was reduced by 370,000 tons

Sediment lost to
water erosion was reduced by 136,000 tons

Phosphorus loss
from wind erosion was reduced by 120,000 pounds

Phosphorus loss
from water erosion was reduced by 15,400 pounds

Total combined wind and water erosion reductions from MSUE cover crop programming:

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